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Blog: Fine tuning nutrients in animal feed is key to improving farming productivity
07 February 2020
Phosphorus is an essential element for the biological
development of both plants and animals. When looking at animals
specifically, phosphate-based compounds have many different roles
(e.g. energy storage via ATP and lipids), yet the major role is to
encourage fast and strong development of bone structure.
Animals have been bred and raised successfully well before the
advent of the market for chemically-produced feed phosphates, as
significant amounts of phosphorus are already naturally available
in animal diets. Centuries of agronomic studies, which continue to
this day, have continuously added to the knowledge bank of
livestock farmers and animal nutritionists, crucially in one
aspect: optimal calcium-to-phosphorus (Ca:P) ratios to ensure high
livestock yields. Within the realm of animal nutrition studies, the
Ca:P ratio is one of the variables that attracted the firmest
research interest - a testament to its commercial significance.
In short: phosphorus is essential, and although feed-grade
phosphates are not the only source of digestible phosphorus to
animals they remain an essential and necessary component of proper
animal nutrition - particularly for commercial-scale livestock
farming.
The market for feed-grade phosphates is considerably smaller in
size (on a phosphate basis) compared to fertilizer-grade products:
we estimate about 3.5 million tonnes P2O5 for feed-grade compared
to 48 million tonnes for fertilizer-grade phosphates). Nonetheless,
while relatively small in size, the market for feed-grade
phosphates is a very important driver of merchant demand for
phosphoric acid in various areas, notably in Europe, Turkey,
Southeast Asia, Brazil, Mexico to name some of the most important
markets.
On a species level there is a strong contribution from ruminants
in total dietary phosphorus requirements and poultry birds also
contribute significantly to the total, mainly thanks to their
widespread farming throughout most geographies and cultures -they
are also the most widely farmed animal in the developing world,
where most of the potential for improvements in the Ca:P dietary
ratio lies. Pigs are also relatively phosphorus-intensive animals,
although they are farmed on a relatively smaller scale on a global
level due to cultural limitations (e.g. in Muslim and Jewish
populations) and larger dietary requirements that make them not
affordable to very-small-scale farmers. Aquaculture has also been a
significant driver of demand growth in areas such as Latin America
and Asia (particularly Southeast Asia), and importantly presents a
firm preference for product varieties exhibiting a higher water
solubility, such as MCP or feed-grade MAP.
The Geography of Digestible Phosphorus by Species Class,
2018
In today's market conditions, supply & demand modelling for
phosphate feed additives is of particular interest to many
companies aiming at investing either in additional merchant
phosphoric acid capacity (for which the feed industry would be an
important demand-side factor) or directly in feed-grade phosphate
capacity. Feed-grade phosphate producers are also important
contributors to import demand for phosphate rock.
For in-depth analysis of the feed phosphates market,
including cost analysis and forecasting for supply, demand and
prices download the sample pages to our latest 167-page report
'Fertecon: Animal Feed Phosphates Outlook to 2030'
